“I am the Lord your God…You shall have no other gods before me.”

–Exodus 20: 2-3

Two weeks ago, we looked at dedicated Olympic athletes and how they handled victory and defeat, and how that reflected on our societal values.

Just to be clear, in no way am I against an individual dedicating his or her time and talent to a sport, as long as it’s kept in perspective.

As we know, that loss of perspective happens in sports. Sadly, it happens in other areas of young peoples’ lives, too.

Julie Hartman, a senior at Harvard, wrote an opinion piece, “Harvard Students are Covid Sheep,” in the February 23, 2022 Wall Street Journal. It is an informative, but startling, article.

She wrote of how Harvard undergrads sheepishly conformed to their school’s Covid restrictions, thereby depriving them of many of the activities and joys college life affords.

But the larger point was this: conformity in that scenario was no different from the conformity they’ve adopted since they were old enough to set their sights on Harvard.

She discussed the students’ shunning of any activity or pleasure that would not lend itself to a favorable review of their college applications.

Pointedly, she stated, “Our life’s mission has been to please those who can grant or withhold approval: parents, teachers, coaches, admissions officers, and job interviewers.”

And then the killer: “As a result, many of us don’t know what we believe or what matters to us.” This from a Harvard senior.

Such students must be feeling the same disappointment Olympic athletes felt when they came up short in their pursuit of gold. Lost? Hopeless, maybe?

Lest we think this is just a “young person” problem, consider the adult, blinders on, who relentlessly pursues career goals, promotion, and recognition.

So, how do we re-balance our lives and realign our values? First and foremost, we must prioritize God. That was the first of the Ten Commandments–probably not by coincidence. While you may not worship the same God I do, or at least in the same way, His message to Moses in the book of Exodus was crystal clear.

Notice that “god” is lower case. In that day, it was false idols of gold and other precious materials, often representing imaginary gods. Today, common false idols include fame, fortune, and first place.

Words matter. In the New Testament, Jesus talked more about money than any other subject. He did not denigrate money, but the love of money. Money can do tremendous good…or wreak great havoc. If accumulating money becomes our goal, pursued at all costs, it becomes a false idol. Think Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.

Whatever our goal, if it is chased for personal gratification, we will never achieve contentment. “I should have a higher position at the company” is the adult version of “I should have won the gold medal.” And there are a lot of discontented people in today’s society.

Self-sufficiency and self-reliance are admired as traits worthy of pursuit. They are, however, oxymorons, for reliance on one’s self as sufficient for success is actually a prescription for failure, disappointment, and unhappiness.

Our country’s founding was anchored by faith in God, but today our culture is a mix of believers of all stripes, as well as non-believers. We live in a world where faith has taken a back seat to secular pursuits.

Referencing his closest followers, Jesus said, “for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world (John 17:14).” This compels us not to worship worldly things, but rather to focus on God.

If we do this, many of our society’s problems and our individual challenges will fall into proper perspective.

Though it might not seem “cool” in today’s world, it is incumbent on us to speak up for what we believe, grounded in our faith in God. Everything else is, at best, of secondary importance.